As always, let’s start with the numbers …

Physical Comics Read:  35 (101/261)
Digital Comics Read: 0 (471/471)
Trades/Graphic Novels Read: 3 (6/14)
Books Read: 6 (110/125)
Movies Watched: 7 (171/194)
TV Series Watched: 0 (56/58)
TV Seasons Watched: 0 (100/105)
Podcast episodes remaining: 198

I will say that summer break plus a vacation means that you wind up reading a lot of comics and watching a good amount of movies. I didn’t listen to as many podcasts as I usually do because my iPod was in really bad shape prior to vacation and I dropped it off to have the battery replaced, so I was without podcasts for the better part of two weeks. Having recently got it back, I pared down a few feeds, erasing episodes that I wasn’t interested in listening to. Otherwise, the beat goes on.

But I have to say that I’ve always been amazed by how a vacation can throw you off. Not completely, mind you, but I’ve always had a bit of a time getting back to my regular routines; in some cases, I’ve completely dropped hobbies or other interests because I just wasn’t interested in coming back to them (comics back in 1987 being the biggest example). This time, it’s some of the mental health and physical health routines that I’ve established. Now, as far as the physical stuff–mainly exercise–I did get sick after my vacation and spent the better part of this past week making sure I got enough rest while dealing with COVID. But when it comes to some other things, I just haven’t had it in me.

Maybe this was the COVID. Maybe it was also exhaustion from the end of the school year. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few years trying to find some sort of balance and calm so I can deal with the everyday that sometimes the mental wellness itself can feel a little stressful. Of course, this conclusion took a little while to come to after getting annoyed at myself for “dropping the ball.” Perhaps, then, I was too committed to such routines?

I’ve been better about thinking about all of … (looks around) … this as a long-term project or long journey, on which there will always be setbacks. However, there are times when I get a little impatient that the needle doesn’t move as quickly as it does. I would love to see something change for the better, even though I know it’s going to take a lot of work.